Faithful

His love is immutable, incomprehensible, immeasurable, impartial, and irresistible.

His love is a source of strength and a stronghold in times of trouble.

His love is faithful, flowing, fulfilling, final, forgiving, and forever.

His love never relinquishes, never fails, never disappoints, and never forsakes.

His love is unconditional, uncontainable, undeniable, unchangeable, unparalleled, and unprecedented.

For God so loved the world. . .

He loved all men, all women, all children, all personalities, all races, all ages, and all nationalities.

For God so loved the world that He gave. . .

His gift reconciles, redeems, and rescues.

His gift is an act of grace and an act of mercy.

His gift is undeserved and irresistible.

His gift is grounded in His love.

He gave His very best, sacrificially — He gave His Son.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. . .

His only Son: The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, Christ!

His only Son: The Faithful and True, the Great High Priest, the Holy One of God, Immanuel!

His only Son: The Lamb of God, Messiah!

His only Son: The Prince of Peace, the Ransom for many, the Suffering Servant, Savior!

His only Son. . .Jesus!

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes. . .

All who believe bear His Name and are adopted into His family.

All who believe are near to God, are new creations in Christ, and have God’s Spirit living within them.

All who believe have peace and riches in Christ and are strong and transformed in Christ.

All who believe are forgiven and saved.

All who believe have eternal life and a hope for tomorrow.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

All who believe have victory over death in Christ, a hope and an inheritance, and eternal life with God.

Heaven will be the city of the Living God, a better and lasting possession, an eternal inheritance, the Kingdom of Light, the Kingdom that cannot be shaken, the Kingdom of God and Christ, and the paradise of God Almighty.

In Heaven we will enjoy complete moral purity and divine sustenance, and will be free from sin and death.

We will have glorified bodies, immortality, and joy beyond measure.

All our needs will be satisfied, we will share in Christ’s Glory, we will be like Christ, and we will have intimate, eternal fellowship with God, with Christ, and with those who love Him.

This Christmas, join me in focusing on our God, the Greatest Gift-Giver of all, who gave the Greatest Gift to all. . .Jesus Christ!

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. (NIV) Matthew 26:34-35, 26:74-75

What do you do when you fail a friend? You go to him or her to apologize, ask for forgiveness, and restore the relationship. But, what if for various reasons you can’t go to that friend? It leaves an incredible void in your soul when you are unable to make things right. I believe that that is how Peter felt after he had denied Christ three times.

Peter had confidently declared his allegiance to Jesus before He went to the cross. Yet, when the chips were down, Peter denied Him 3 times. His reaction, Peter wept bitterly. He knew he had failed the One that had been a Friend like no other. But, Jesus was dead. . .Peter saw no hope in ever being able to apologize to Him. Can you imagine the remorse that Peter lived with for 3 days as he relived his denial of Christ. But then, the impossible happened. . .Jesus arose from the dead! Peter responds to the news by running to Jesus’ tomb only to find it empty. Had he been hopeful that he could finally apologize to Jesus? Did he want to be reassured that Jesus hadn’t given up on him?

Jesus took the initiative to go to Peter. “He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:5). We can only surmise the gist of His conversation, but I believe that when Peter looked into his Savior’s eyes he saw forgiveness, mercy, grace and love. Later, the risen Lord appeared to Peter and gave him a special commission: “Tend My Lambs. . .shepherd My sheep. . .and tend My sheep” (John 21:1-17). Jesus re-established Peter’s role of leadership.

Peter became a transformed man. He quickly became the leader and spokesman for the early disciples. His name heads every list of the Twelve in the New Testament. His preaching in the early days of the church (Acts 1-10) shows his great ability. The first 11 chapters of Acts revolve around the activity of Peter. He was busy. . . Peter was the spokesman at Pentecost. . .he healed the lame man at the temple. . .he defied the Sanhedrin, refusing to be silent about Jesus. . .he presided over the grim task of dealing with Annanias and Sapphira. . .and he dealt with the deceit of Simon the magician. Peter was the one chosen to reach out to Cornelius, a Gentile, after God revealed to him that the gospel would be extended to Jew and Gentile alike. Peter played a key role at the Council of Jerusalem which decided in favor of granting church membership to Gentiles. Not bad for one who denied Christ.

Peter failed Jesus, but Jesus never failed Peter. Jesus prayed for Peter when he is weak and He prays for us. Jesus picked Peter up when he was down and He picks us up. Jesus forgave Peter when he failed and He forgives us. Jesus healed Peter’s painful memory of denial and He heals us. Jesus believed in Peter and He believes in us. Jesus died for Peter and died for us. Jesus loved Peter and loves us. Jesus is our faithful Friend who sticks closer to us than a brother.

…a faithful God who does no wrong
…a forgiving God
…a fortress of salvation
…a glorious crown
…jealous and avenging God
…a Master in heaven
…a refuge for His people
…a refuge for the needy in his distress
…a refuge for the oppressed
…a refuge for the poor
…a sanctuary
…a shade from the heat
…a shelter from the storm
…a source of strength

You are always right and good…no sin is beyond Your forgiveness
You and only You are salvation…You are the King
You alone are to be worshiped…You are my Lord and my God
You are my security…You are a safe place when I am in trouble
You are the safest place I know…You are like a cool breeze in the midst of heat
Only in You do I find strength…You are strong in my weakness

O Lord, You are all that I am not. You are the strength that I do not have. You are the love that I need. O Lord how can I ever tell You how much I love You? How can words express the deep feelings of gratitude I have for You. Only in You will I ever find enthusiasm for life, for sharing Your Word, and for serving others. Keep showing me more of Yourself!